First steps...

We finally had our day at the consulate! While I had some prep from a blog entry about what to expect based on a visit with the office in Chicago, it was still a unique experience (and forgive my metaphors moving forward…)

THE EMERALD CITY. As some of you may know, my younger daughter, Kathleen, recently danced in the Charleston Ballet Theatre’s production of “Off to OZ”, so I couldn’t shake off the parallels between the Consulate’s Office and the gates to the Emerald City. Like the Wizard, if there is indeed a Consulate, you don’t see him or her (unless, of course you are Dorothy or more of a character than I). Much like the guard at the big green door, our entire conversation was with a clerk sitting behind a bullet proof window (who, I imagine, as in the movie, could have been the Consulate as well.) All of our voice communication was via a squak box. An important point here is that I, as the head of the family, was the only person he would talk with. So you can imagine the inherent risk was in that move.

As we entered and waited to be noticed, we sat in a row on an upholstered bench, cranky girls on one end, applicants on the other. The first thing I noticed was the sign taped to the clerk’s window that informed us that “Effective Immediately” the required size for the visa photograph is 1” square. I, of course, had been laboring for weeks to get our pictures EXACTLY the 3.5cm X 4.5cm that is listed as a requirement on the website. Having been unable to get them produced for me (as the US standard is 2in X2in) I shot them myself.

I had prepared our individual visa packages as if they were PowerPoints for an executive review. Each package had a table of contents sheet and was bound in a fancy, very business-like folder. The first thing the clerk/gatekeeper had me do was remove all the papers from the folders and hand them back through a slot in the glass. He then waved me back to my seat and tossed the table of content pages aside and started separating the packet components. It was about this time that he came across my Talents and Competencies packet – the visa that would allow me to work in France on a special project (mine is PCI for NPO’s). In the absence of any guidance from the embassy website (their voicemail specifically notes that you may not call them with an any visa questions) I decided to apply for both the Long-Stay and the T&C visas with the assumption that if the work visa was not granted, I could always get by with the non-working, Long-Stay variety.

His arms shot into the air in frustration! He waved his hands frantically for me to return to the window and chastised me for screwing up his system. I was instructed that I could only apply for one type of visa at a time – either the long-stay visa or the T&C one. After he calmed down, he asked me to explain my “project”, got up from his seat and took my papers away (to the Wizard, I supposed.) After a few minutes he returned and asked me what I wanted to do.

DEAL OR NO DEAL. The parallels now move from OZ to reality TV. The clerk/Howie Mandel explained that should my work visa not be granted all the family member’s visas would be rejected as well, we would forfeit our fees and all have to re-apply in person. Asking me again what I wanted to do (and looking at me with pity as I went back and forth with Jean) he explained that if I wanted, I could go with the Long-Stay visa and apply for the T&C one after I arrived in France. If I went with this “deal” only I would have to return to the Atlanta office to submit the paperwork and Jean and the girls would not be impacted. I asked him how many T&C visas had been granted by the Atlanta Consulate. He held up his index finger and said, “One.” I took the deal.

Later I discovered the real issue. As he was preparing the paperwork for the Long-Stay visas, he explained that as of June 1st, all visa applications, including the T&C one, had to be approved by the embassy in Washington. This means the consulate no longer has the say on who’s in or out. However, he assured us that our Long-Stay applications were “strong” and that we should have no problem getting approval by our August 5th planned departure date (I think he actually wanted me to go for the T&C, but couldn’t guarantee me success.) He even advised us that we could apply for our green cards after ten months. We waved goodbye to the clerk/gatekeeper/Howie and headed toward a bar.

While a bit disappointed I didn’t leave with the work visa, as this means Jean can’t work either, the main objective was met – we will get to live in France! Olivier, a French friend of mine, suggested early on not to bother with trying to get a work visa now, but to just get the Long-Stay visa and hire an immigration lawyer in France to advise on how to get the work permit. In retrospect, it makes sense, and I’ll follow his advice when we get settled.

That’s all for now. I’ll keep you posted. Bucky